ADU Pass
Gulf Hammock
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Gulf Hammock, Levy County, Florida navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: allowed-with-restrictions
Florida has no statewide ADU preemption; local ordinance is the binding constraint. Gulf Hammock permits ADUs subject to local conditions.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $1,900 | $30,000 | $31,900 |
| 600 | 600 | $1,900 | $120,000 | $121,900 |
| midpoint | 575 | $1,900 | $115,000 | $116,900 |
| 1000 | 1,000 | $1,900 | $200,000 | $201,900 |
| maximum | 1,000 | $1,900 | $200,000 | $201,900 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- Confirm parcel zoning eligibility under Levy County Land Development Code (~3d)
Levy County requires the principal dwelling to carry a homestead exemption before an ADU permit can issue. Verify zoning district (rural-residential / agricultural typical for Gulf Hammock CDP) and that parcel meets minimum acreage. Levy Planning & Zoning ((352) 486-5203, planning@levycounty.org) confirms. - Sign and record the ADU Affidavit of Homestead Residency at Levy County Clerk of Courts (~5d)
Levy County's ADU ordinance requires the property owner to sign an affidavit attesting the principal dwelling carries a homestead exemption. The affidavit MUST be recorded with the Levy County Clerk of Courts BEFORE a building permit can issue, and proof of recording is part of the building permit submittal. - Submit Zoning Compliance Application with site plan and survey (~1d)
Required attachments: property deed, site plan, survey (parcel under 3 acres for residence), and recorded ADU Affidavit. ADU max size = 50% of principal floor area or 1,200 sqft, whichever is greater. Submitted to Levy County Development Department, 612 N Court St, Bronson FL 32621. - Submit Building Permit Application to Levy County Development Department (~1d)
Building permit applications reviewed twice daily (9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.). Electronic submittal via Levy County Online Permitting System available; contact Development Department to onboard. Plan review covers Florida Building Code 8th Edition (Residential), MEP, and floodplain compliance for SFHA parcels along the Waccasassa River corridor. - Plan review and Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) coordination (~14d)
Most of Gulf Hammock falls under SRWMD jurisdiction; ERP / consumptive-use permit may be required for parcels with substantial impervious area or proximate to wetlands. ADU on existing homestead typically exempt under residential general permit but verification required. FDOH Levy County onsite-sewage program reviews septic capacity for the new bedroom add. - Pay $150 ADU fee plus building permit fees per Appendix B (~7d)
Levy County charges a $150 flat ADU fee; building permit fee per Appendix B Schedule of Fees, Rates and Charges (residential permits ~10% of valuation cap). Allow 1-2 weeks for processing; PDF permit emailed when issued. State DBPR surcharges apply. - Construction inspections (foundation, framing, MEP rough, insulation, final)
Inspections scheduled through Levy County Building Department (352-486-5198). Wind-zone 140 mph requires hurricane strapping inspection; remember Gulf Hammock is fewer than 6 miles from open Gulf coast. - Certificate of Occupancy and Property Appraiser parcel update (~5d)
Final CO triggers update with Levy County Property Appraiser; ADU is added to parcel record but does not lose homestead exemption on principal dwelling (homestead protection extends to the parcel as a whole).
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU permitted; Florida landlord-tenant law (Ch. 83) applies.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions STR registration may apply per county vacation-rental ordinance and Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licensing.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit or rezoning.
- Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with conditions on signage and traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist/maker studio is a permitted accessory use.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Rural-zoned parcels permit limited agriculture; livestock varies by district.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted in residential zones.
Contacts
Staff: Levy County Building Department (Building permits and inspections (Gulf Hammock CDP unincorporated)), Levy County Planning & Zoning Department (Zoning compliance, ADU Affidavit verification, site plan review) planning@levycounty.org, Levy County Clerk of Courts (Recording Division) (ADU Affidavit of Homestead Residency recording (mandatory pre-permit)), Florida Department of Health in Levy County (Onsite Sewage Treatment & Disposal permitting (septic for ADU bedroom add))
Utilities
- Water: Private well typical; limited municipal water in some areas · $8,000
- Sewer: Septic typical; municipal sewer rare · $12,000
- Electric: Duke Energy / FPL / local cooperative · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Propane typical (no municipal natural gas) · 14d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 16mo
Modular pathway inspectors are occasional with modular
Standard rural-road transport with permitted oversize loads
Financing
State ADU loans:
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
Florida Ch. 720 HOA, Ch. 718 condo, and Ch. 719 cooperative statutes do not preempt HOA-level ADU bans. Recorded covenants control where they exist.
Regulatory overlays (3)
- flood-zone
Gulf Hammock has FEMA SFHA along the Waccasassa River and adjacent coastal-zone Zone AE/VE areas where parcels approach the Gulf of Mexico. Elevation Certificate and FBC R322 / ASCE 24-14 flood-resistant construction required for SFHA parcels; NFIP coverage near-mandatory for federally-backed mortgages. - wetland-overlay
Most of Gulf Hammock is within Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) jurisdiction; Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park and Goethe State Forest border the CDP. Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) may apply for parcels with substantial impervious area or proximate to jurisdictional wetlands. - other
Homestead pre-condition: Levy County's ADU ordinance requires a homestead exemption on the principal dwelling AND a recorded ADU Affidavit at the Clerk of Courts BEFORE building permit issuance. Investor / non-homestead parcels cannot add an ADU under this framework.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Contractor market (aggregate)
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: Levy County Code of Ordinances Appendix A (Land Development Code) and Appendix B (Schedule of Fees) - Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance with homestead-exemption pre-condition and recorded ADU Affidavit requirement, adopted 2010-01-01, last amended 2025-03-18
- 2022-09-28 — Hurricane Ian landfall (state-event)
Cat 4 hurricane made landfall near Cayo Costa, severely impacting southwest Florida coastal communities.
Effect: Indirect effect on insurance market - 2024-01-01 — Florida Building Code 8th Edition update (building-code)
Statewide adoption of FBC 8th Edition (IECC 2020 base with Florida amendments).
Effect: Updated wind, energy, and structural standards apply to new accessory dwellings
Known issues (2)
- issue —
- issue —
Levy County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Levy County (county seat Bronson; Gulf-coast community Cedar Key) is a rural Gulf-coast Florida county (population approximately 43,000) with a mix of coastal (Cedar Key, Yankeetown, Inglis), inland-agricultural (Bronson, Chiefland, Williston), and forested-rural land uses. The county regulates accessory dwelling units on unincorporated parcels through the Levy County Land Development Code. Rural-residential and agricultural zoning districts generally permit accessory living structures subject to lot-size and setback conditions. Florida has no statewide ADU preemption; § 163.31771 FS is permissive only. Pending SB 48 / HB 313 (2026 session) would establish a statewide ADU floor with a December 1, 2026 conformance deadline if enacted.
State-floor overlay: Florida has no statewide ADU preemption as of April 2026. § 163.31771 FS is permissive only. Pending 2026 bills (SB 48 / HB 313) would impose a statewide floor; Levy's ordinance would need audit against the final statutory text if enacted (December 1, 2026 deadline in current drafts).
County regulatory overlays
Levy County administers coastal, floodplain, and wetland overlays. The Gulf coast from Yankeetown / Inglis in the south, through Cedar Key, to Horseshoe Beach (technically in Dixie County but adjacent) is highly low-lying and exposed to hurricane storm-surge. Hurricane Idalia (2023) made landfall on the Big Bend coast in neighboring Dixie / Taylor counties and produced catastrophic Cedar Key damage; Hurricane Helene (2024) added further impact. Suwannee River and Waccasassa River floodplains affect inland parcels. Suwannee River Water Management District jurisdiction covers the county.
- FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) — Coastal A, VE, AE zones — Levy participates in NFIP. Coastal parcels on Cedar Key, in Yankeetown, Inglis, and along the extensive salt-marsh-backed Gulf shoreline face Zone VE or Coastal A designations. Post-Idalia (2023) and post-Helene (2024) map revisions raised base flood elevations in many coastal areas. ADU construction in Zone VE requires pile/column foundations, breakaway walls, and flow-through venting — Cedar Key's historic post-pile traditional construction already reflects these requirements.
- Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) — Parcels seaward of the CCCL on Cedar Key and along the Gulf shoreline require FDEP CCCL permits. Levy's extremely low-lying coastal profile means CCCL setbacks can significantly affect buildable area.
- Suwannee River Water Management District Environmental Resource Permits — Levy sits within SRWMD jurisdiction. ADU site work affecting wetlands, adding impervious surface thresholds, or altering stormwater flow requires an ERP. Coastal salt-marsh wetlands and inland river-floodplain wetlands are both common.
- Hurricane Wind Zone — approximately 140 mph ultimate design wind speed (Gulf coast) — Gulf-coastal Levy sits in approximately the 140 mph ASCE 7-22 ultimate design wind-speed zone; inland 130-140 mph. Hurricane Idalia (2023) and Helene (2024) have produced repeat-impact construction-cost pressure.
- Cedar Key Historic District — Cedar Key's historic district covers most of the main island and imposes architectural-compatibility review on new construction including accessory structures. This is a city-level overlay within Cedar Key; unincorporated Cedar Key adjacent areas do not have a county historic overlay.
- Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park and Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve — Waccasassa Bay Preserve and the Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve cover a significant portion of Levy's Gulf coastline and adjacent waters. ADUs on parcels adjacent to these protected areas face additional water-quality and habitat-compatibility review.
County permitting (unincorporated parcels)
Permits for ADUs on parcels in unincorporated Levy County are issued by the Levy County Building Department with zoning-compliance review from the Planning Department. Levy has eight incorporated municipalities (Bronson, Cedar Key, Chiefland, Fanning Springs, Inglis, Otter Creek, Williston, Yankeetown); most of the county is unincorporated. Septic-system permitting for rural parcels is handled through the Florida Department of Health, Levy County office.
Florida state — ADU law and programs
State ADU law
Florida does NOT currently have a statewide ADU preemption law in effect. Florida Statutes § 163.31771 (enacted 2004, last amended 2020) is permissive — it authorizes local governments to adopt ADU ordinances but does not require them to. ADU rules are therefore set municipality-by-municipality: Miami-Dade, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and a growing set of Florida cities have their own ordinances; many smaller counties and cities still prohibit or restrict ADUs by default. A preemption bill (SB 48 / HB 313) is pending in the 2026 legislative session and is likely to pass given that its 2025 predecessor cleared the Senate 37-0 and House 97-10 before dying on a procedural amendment dispute.
- Florida Statutes § 163.31771 — Accessory dwelling units — Permissive (not mandatory) statute. Defines an ADU as 'an ancillary or secondary living unit, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, existing either within the same structure, or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling unit.' Authorizes — but does not require — local governments to adopt ordinances allowing ADUs in single-family residential zones. Contains no size caps, no owner-occupancy rules, no HOA preemption. All substantive rulemaking is local.
State financing programs
Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) does not operate an ADU-specific state loan or grant program. FHFC's primary affordable-housing lever at the ADU tier is the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), which distributes state documentary-stamp-tax revenue to all 67 counties and 52 entitlement cities for locally-administered housing programs — some of which may fund ADU construction at the local level (notably Orange County's Affordable ADU Loan Program, run through the Orange County Housing Finance Trust). FHFC's FL Assist down-payment programs and HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage conventional loans apply to ADU-eligible primary residences but do not single out ADUs. Proposed CS/SB 1440 would create a state property-tax exemption of up to 100% of assessed value for an ADU rented at affordable rates.
State housing programs
Florida does not currently operate a statewide pre-approved ADU plan catalog (unlike California or Washington). State-level ADU implementation is driven by (a) the permissive § 163.31771 which lets willing jurisdictions adopt ordinances, (b) SHIP pass-through funding to local ADU programs (Orange County's Affordable ADU Loan Program is the model), and (c) the affordable-housing property-tax exemption under the Live Local Act (SB 102 / SB 328). The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) — now reorganized as the Department of Commerce — provides technical assistance to local governments but no statewide ADU-specific mandate or program. Major counties (Miami-Dade, Orange, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Broward) have published their own ADU ordinances and guidance documents.
Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs
Federal ADU law
The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.
Federal financing programs
Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.
Federal tax credits
There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.
Federal housing programs
HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.
ZIP Code
- 32639
Post Office
- 5350 SE Highway 19, 32639